Writing tools are those that are primarily text based. The tools presented here are highly collaborative due to their real time funtionality.
EtherPad was a web service that allowed real-time document collaboration for multiple users. Participants could simultaneously edit and see all changes, each user's text was displayed in a different color. Google purchased Etherpad to integrate with it's new product Google Wave, which was later discontinued and the project handed over - it continues as Apache Wave. Google then released the Etherpad code as open source and numerous clones of the original have emerged - eg iEtherPad, TypeWith.me, TitanPad and PrimaryPad.
The EtherPad Foundation is a no-profit organisation that maintains development of the EtherPad project.
We will set up and collaborate in an iEtherpad based site to examine the ease of use of this product. All documents created with Etherpad sites are public and can not be set to private.
Google however did not completely abandon their EtherPad acquisition as Google Docs now allows multiple simultaneous users. It is not quite as real-time as EtherPad, refreshing about every 10 seconds.
Google certainly has a very large user base an equally high profile when it comes to online document creation and sharing. We will examine the collaborative nature of a shared Google Doc and a shared Google Spreadsheetthat have been set to private so only people in this group can access them.
EtherPad was a web service that allowed real-time document collaboration for multiple users. Participants could simultaneously edit and see all changes, each user's text was displayed in a different color. Google purchased Etherpad to integrate with it's new product Google Wave, which was later discontinued and the project handed over - it continues as Apache Wave. Google then released the Etherpad code as open source and numerous clones of the original have emerged - eg iEtherPad, TypeWith.me, TitanPad and PrimaryPad.
The EtherPad Foundation is a no-profit organisation that maintains development of the EtherPad project.
We will set up and collaborate in an iEtherpad based site to examine the ease of use of this product. All documents created with Etherpad sites are public and can not be set to private.
Google however did not completely abandon their EtherPad acquisition as Google Docs now allows multiple simultaneous users. It is not quite as real-time as EtherPad, refreshing about every 10 seconds.
Google certainly has a very large user base an equally high profile when it comes to online document creation and sharing. We will examine the collaborative nature of a shared Google Doc and a shared Google Spreadsheetthat have been set to private so only people in this group can access them.
Google Docs for Educators - Google Docs as explained by Google
34 Interesting Ways to Use Google docs in the Classroom - a slideshow with lots of interesting ideas
Visit the Google Docs Blog to keep up with the news about developments in the world of Google
Other Collaborative writing Sites
Crocodoc - annotate over a shared uploaded file then download the file with the annotations in place
Join me - a screen sharing tool that allows users to share and control the same screen
MixedInk (for educators) - not real-time but a different collaborative process (more like a mash-up) to engage students.
Springnote - Group Notebooks allows users to collaborate, though quite wiki-like in its functionality.